


Spiderman

by earlgreyteawrites



Category: Voltron - Fandom, klance - Fandom
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, KEITH FIC, M/M, Spiderman AU, Vld keith - Freeform, keith kogane - Freeform, klance, klance fic, klance fluff, klance spiderman au, klangst, lance fic, lance mcclain - Freeform, lance serrano - Freeform, vld keith fic, vld klance - Freeform, vld lance - Freeform, vld lance fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 11:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16872285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgreyteawrites/pseuds/earlgreyteawrites
Summary: Keith panted deeply, hardly able to feel his own breaths. His arms trembled as he held Lance close to his chest. The boy was crying softly in his arms, probably terrified. He looked like he was in pain, holding the spot where his arm had been cut during the fight. Normally, Keith would never be out here in his suit. Spiderman wasn’t the most important thing to him after all, not unless there was real danger. But today there had been.





	1. Chapter 1

    Keith panted deeply, hardly able to feel his own breaths. His arms trembled as he held Lance close to his chest. The boy was crying softly in his arms, probably terrified. He looked like he was in pain, holding the spot where his arm had been cut during the fight. Normally, Keith would never be out here in his suit. Spiderman wasn’t the most important thing to him after all, not unless there was real danger. But today there had been.

    It was pure luck that Lance had been the only one to get injured. There were no fatalities, there was a few bits of destroyed property and one road was totaled, but otherwise Keith considered it a job well done. At least, aside from Lance sobbing in his arms.

    Now, Keith normally would never take the risk of doing this but he had done this before on a couple different occasions. Lance was always at the wrong place at the wrong time and tended to think he was stronger than he actually was. So when it came to big things like this, they tended to run into each other. It was so much that Keith had actually saved him from danger on three occasions. So Keith decided it would be okay, and he began to stroke Lance’s hair, talking to him ever so quietly, “It’s okay.” he whispered, “You’re safe.”

    Lance sniffled a little bit into his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around Keith- er, Spiderman. “It’s going to be okay.” he repeated once again, using an even softer tone this time. “…Here, let’s go somewhere safer. I’m going to take you for a little ride, okay?” Lance said nothing, “Are you okay with that?” he asked again. This time Lance nodded shakily. His side was still bleeding a little bit, his shirt cut open from where that stupid guy’s knives had nicked him. Thankfully it wasn’t fatal, Keith highly doubted it would even need stitches, but clearly Lance was mostly crying due to the shock of the situation rather than pain.

    Keith shot out a web from his wrist, pulling them up to the nearest rooftop. Lance held him tightly enough that Keith was beginning to worry he might choke, but the last thing he needed to do was tell Lance to let go. Lance was scared, he still likely felt like he was going to die, even though the danger had been taken care of. Keith remembered the first time he’d been hurt in battle. When he’d gotten home, he’d completely and utterly lost it, deteriorating into a sobbing mess. He’d been too scared to even think of going to school that next morning.

    Now the same thing had happened to Lance, only this time it had been because Lance was trying to protect Ke-Spiderman.

    “Okay, now I need you to lie down.” Keith said softly as he placed Lance on the rooftop. Lance shakily did as Keith said, lying down on his good side so that the bad side was exposed. “This might sting a little, but you can do it, you’re strong.” Keith said softly once more. Lance sniffled, closing his eyes as Keith pulled some bandages out of his suit. He’d kept it ever since he’d gotten hurt. They couldn’t do everything, but they could usually stop the bleeding.

    Lance flinched and whimpered as Keith began to wrap him up, whispering softly to him to keep him calm.

    “It’s okay, it’s okay.” Keith repeated, pushing up Lance’s shirt just a little bit more to expose the last bit of the cut. “I’m almost there, I’m almost done.” Lance flinched again, which made it a bit difficult, but he managed to wrap the last bit around Lance’s middle, carefully snapping the bandage down in place. Keith sighed with relief despite the fact that Lance continued to stay frozen where he lied on the rooftop.

    “Good job. You did amazing.” he whispered softly, bringing his hand down to stroke Lance’s hair once more. He turned the boy’s head gently so that he could made sure there were no cuts elsewhere. Thankfully there didn’t seem to be, but nonetheless he gathered Lance back into his arms and held him close, “…Thank you for jumping to save me from that. It probably would’ve killed me.” he mumbled, continuing to comfort the boy in his arms. “I’m just glad it didn’t kill you.”

    And, much to Keith’s relief, Lance replied, “Yeah, me too.” he sounded a little bit blubbery as well as a little bit breathless. Some tears were still streaking down his cheeks and he continued to shake, but at least he was talking.

    “Just promise to never do that again.” Keith muttered. He knew it sounded a little bit stupid to scold someone the same age as him, but he did it nonetheless.

    “I promise.” Lance said softly, holding up his pinkie finger. Keith couldn’t help but smile, his mask mirroring it as they linked their fingers. And to Keith’s immense surprise, Lance leaned over and hugged Keith tightly, burying his face into his shoulder.

    “Sorry for causing trouble.” he sniffled softly, “I just…I was walking him and I saw him lunge towards you, I wasn’t thinking, I-I-”

    “It’s okay.” Keith repeated for what felt like the millionth time, except this time he really meant it. Keith hadn’t been paying attention, he didn’t even know that the guy had been behind him. If Lance hadn’t jumped out in front of his back, well…Keith would’ve certainly not made it. He’d meant what he’d said to Lance, he was thankful for what the boy had done. Who ever would’ve thought the person that sat next to him in geometry could be so selfless?

    “But…why would you do that?”

    “Do what?” Lance asked, his voice still a bit shaky.

    “…I know you said you weren’t really thinking, but, why would you save me?” a small interval of silence passed between them as they hugged each other. It felt oddly intimate and honestly…it was wonderful. Keith had to admit, he had fantasized about this moment occasionally as he stared at the boy next to him in geometry. Saving Lance from a villain, holding him, kissing him (either was fine), then bringing him safely back home and watching his family freak out but also act relieved. It was something he loved to do for anyone, but, Lance…Lance was special.

    “…I guess I just did it because I was scared. I didn’t really think you’d die if I didn’t jump out, but I knew you might get hurt. So, I guess I was worried about you having to be taken to the hospital and your identity being found out or something and then bad guys could _actually_ kill you because they would know your private life and…well…” Lance finally replied, “…I…well…” he paused for another moment. Keith could feel Lance’s face heat on the back of his neck. “…I _like_ you, you’re a good guy and…And I didn’t want to see you get hurt.” if Keith were anyone else, he might get the hint that the ‘I like you’ part meant ‘I _like_ like you’, but that idea seemed far to absurd, flying straight over his head.

    “…Nobody’s ever really said something like that to me before.” Keith admitted. Once again, to his surprise (Lance was full of them), Lance snorted.

    “That sounds like something my friend Keith would say.” he giggled. “You kinda remind me of him, though you’re less grumpy.” Keith would’ve retaliated, but reminded himself he needed to keep his image. After all, Lance said himself that he didn’t want his identity to be revealed.

    “Well, I’m glad I’m not grumpy.” Keith felt himself laugh as a reply, “…But I’ll admit I can get a little broody.”

    “All that superhero stuff getting to ya?” Lance asked. Normally Keith would never be so open, but…Lance made it easy.

    “Well, yeah. Trying to keep everyone alive to live their own lives and then live my own life gets a little rough sometimes.” he admitted. It was hard sometimes, always having to be the hero, only having Shiro to confide in. Getting worried about villains and bad guys as well as his evil math teacher and upcoming exams. He had no friends to reduce the stress, none apart from Lance…and if he was being completely honest with himself. Well, he’d seriously just fallen apart.

    “I imagine it would be.” Lance replied softly, bringing his fingers up so that they rested on the back of Keith’s neck. It sent a little shiver down his spine. He wasn’t used to being touched so gently in such a place.

    “Yeah…” Keith mumbled, feeling a sudden loss for words. But thankfully Lance made up for that.

    “…Well, I hate to ask but, I kinda need to go home.” he admitted, pulling slightly out of their hug. “…Could you maybe help me get off of this building?” another laugh bubbled out of Keith’s throat. The way Lance had phrased it made it rather amusing to him.

    “Yeah, I’ll get you out of here.” Keith told him gently. “But you might want to hold on.” Keith gave Lance only a moment, tightening his own grip on the boy before shooting a web which stuck to a nearby building. “Address please?” Lance ginned, telling him the place before they shot off above the city.

 

 

 

 

    “Keith, KEITH!!!” Lance suddenly squealed down the hallway. “You won’t believe this!” Keith turned around, watching as Lance rushed towards him, cheeks flushed and eyes filled with excitement. As he reached the locker Keith was standing in front of, he looked around quickly as if to check to see if anyone was listening before dropping his voice low enough that Keith was lucky to even hear him.

    “I cuddled on a rooftop with Spiderman, _Spiderman_!” he exclaimed, barely able to continue to keep his voice down. He practically vibrated, looking like he was going to break into screams.

    Keith felt his face exploding with pink, trying his best to force it away.

    “Lance, don’t be so loud.” he urged, pretending he was embarrassed about the people looking at them rather than the fact that Lance seemed excited about the fact that Keith had hugged him and comforted last night.

    “I know I know! I’m sorry, I just, _Spiderman_.” Lance breathed like it was the most amazing thing he could think of before beginning to quickly ramble the whole story to Keith in whispers down the hallway, completely unaware that Keith already had most, if not all of the story already. After all, he was the main character.

    Lance rambled onwards, his cheeks getting pinker and his voice getting slightly higher as well as louder as he finished the battle part (most of which he was partially unconscious and crying, but he’d convintely left out that part to Keith).

    “And then he swooped me into the air and took me all the way to the top of the building. I was in a lot of pain, but it was still really romantic.” Lance sighed, his voice getting bubbly. “The sun was setting and everything. After he bandaged me up he held me and then we hugged. He even talked a little bit about himself after I said he reminded me of you a bit. And then he took me home above the city. It was the coolest thing ever. Of course, I didn’t tell anyone about everything but you, they would probably think it was dumb or that I was making it up or whatever. But when I was about to go inside he actually _hugged me_! _We hugged_! I hugged Spiderman Keith! Oh my gosh!” he gushed, holding his face and squealing. People gave him weird looks as Keith stood there breathlessly.

    “He was so cute and charming, I’d never seen him act so shy before…it was…it was almost like he _liked_ me!” oh…Keith could heavily agree on the fact that Spiderman liked Lance. He would go above and beyond that even. Spiderman didn’t just like Lance, Keith was ninety percent sure that Spiderman himself had fallen absolutely head over heels for the cute blue eyed high school junior. His heart had been completely stolen from day one.

    Keith kept his mouth shut about that, keeping quiet for a moment as Lance finished his squealing. Keith felt like he was going to vomit, but at the same time he also wanted to join Lance in his screaming session. Because not only had Lance just admitted that he liked Spiderman, he’d compared Spiderman to Keith. Did that mean Lance liked both of Keith’s little worlds? Did that mean…well, that they could possibly, just maybe end up together…?

    But Keith knew he wouldn’t be able to say anything. He couldn’t tell anyone he was Spiderman. Lance said it himself, ‘ _then bad guys could actually kill you because they would know your private life_ ’. But the urge was so overwhelming he could hardly contain himself.

    “That’s awesome!” Keith partially lied, but technically it wasn’t a lie, seeing as he was happy to find out that Lance liked him, but it wasn’t like he could necessarily do anything about it. “Text me about it later, I’m sorry, Shiro’s here and I just gotta-”

    “Yeah it’s cool!” Lance exclaimed. “I’ll see you later!” Lance patted Keith gently on the shoulder, letting out a final squeal as Keith sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him to Shiro’s car. His heart was pumping much faster than it should’ve been.

    He leapt into the back seat, forcing himself not to blush. Shiro watched from the front of the car, his eyebrow raised with suspicion.

    “…Did something happen at school today?” he asked, his tone rising to a questioning one. Keith wanted to answer, but at the same time he was too flustered to really talk about it. It wasn’t like he was worried Shiro would make fun of him or that he wouldn’t understand or anything like that; but not even _Keith_ was able to comprehend what had just happened fully.

    “I’ll tell you later.” Keith mumbled, burying his face into his book bag and letting out a deep groan.  

    However, Shiro didn’t seem very pleased about that answer, likely assuming something bad had happened.

    “Are you sure nothing bad happened at school? Your face is all red.”

    “I _know_ that already Shiro.” Keith groaned once again, only louder so that Shiro could hear to through the muffle of his backpack. “Just, just give me a minute, okay?”

    Shiro looked at Keith for a moment, continuing to debate whether to talk about the subject or not. He was still pretty unsure of what to do, seeing as Keith rarely acted to flustered so openly. Did it possibly have something to do with the boy that had been walking with Keith on the way outside of the school?

    After a minute more of internal debate, Shiro decided it was better not to mention it, turning back and continuing the drive home as Keith groaned deeply into his book bag.

 

 

 

 

    Keith leapt through the air, sweat pouring down his face as panic rose in his chest. Rarely did he ever feel panic like this, not since Lance had jumped out in front of that guy a little under a week ago. The robber that had followed him wasn’t just any robber. He was robbing for himself, yes, but it wasn’t just simply taking something. The guy had clearly planned for some kind of intervention, and in that list of people that could stop him just happened to be Spiderman.

    Keith cleared an entire rooftop as he leapt, but the guy had attached some sort of flying device to his body and had no problem with keeping up with Keith. No matter how many webs he shot, no matter how fast he sprinted across each rooftop, sidewalk or train track, the guy would always gain momentum on him.

    By this point, he could feel the man practically breathing down his neck, the mechanics of his flying device buzzing in Keith’s ear. And in the middle of the jump, the riskiest place to do so, Keith turned around.

The moment went in slow motion. Keith forced the last of the web in his wrist to shoot out, making contact with the robber’s flying device. The moment it hit, the robber swiped at his face with a knife. It slit Keith’s neck, making a clean cut, but missing the main artery, instead making a small cut along the side and his ear rather than a swipe that could kill. But as the slice began to sting, the man began his fall to the empty alley below. Only then did time speed back up, Keith coming to the realization that he was injured and flying towards the window of an office building at full speed.

    Keith panicked, which was something he rarely did, throwing his feet in front of him. It was better to break his legs than his neck. But as he thrust his feet out, almost a foot from the windows, an explosion broke out from the empty alley where the robber had crash landed.

    The force of the explosion pushed him up into the air, sending him flailing.  As he flew up into the atmosphere, he saw the scene beneath him, which happened to be rather gruesome. The man definitely hadn’t made it, which sparked a bit of guilt inside of Keith, but he was thankful that no other innocent people would be hurt because of him.  He had already beaten a woman to the point where Keith had actually carried her to the hospital while being chased by the lunatic. His device was completely gone, exploded to bits. The alley hadn’t been small enough that it had caused any damage to the surrounding buildings aside from some black scorch marks. Nobody seemed hurt and nobody seemed to have witnessed the event, which only made it easier for him to report the thing to the police, seeing as his camera was solid evidence in itself and there would be no need to consult witnesses. But as Keith descended back to earth, bouncing from his web like a bungee cord, he realized he might’ve been wrong about the witnesses.

    Despite the death and the explosion, Keith couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter inside of his chest as he found a boy gazing up at him from the ground. He had forgotten this street was where Lance waited for his bus every day. And of course, Lance’s natural curiosity and his unconscious pull to dangerous situations had brought him to the scene. Now that he was aware that Lance liked him, well…how could Keith resist talking to him.

    But as Keith twisted in the air to land, hoping to look graceful and possibly a little bit handsome, he remembered the pain in his neck. His twist ended up wrapping him inside of his own web at the feet, lurching him down towards the street. Thankfully his face didn’t smack on the concrete, but now he was suspended rather uselessly a foot or two from the sidewalk. He held his neck, wincing and breathing a little bit heavily. The adrenaline had managed to cover for him, but it only lasted so long. Now that the moment was over, his natural painkiller was fading, forcing him to deal with the problem.

    It only caused more humiliation when Lance started to run over, panic spreading across his face as he realized something was wrong. Keith tried to correct himself and untie the web from his feet, turning so that he could do so. The action only agitated the injury in his neck further, causing more pain to erupt from it. He did his best to continue and ignore it and work until Lance finally reached his side.

    “S-Spiderman?” He stuttered, his eyes flickering to the injury on his neck, obvious panic blooming on his face. Keith hadn’t meant to worry Lance, but at this point it was inevitable.

    “It’s okay,” he winced, “I’m fine.” Yeah….that was _totally_ convincing. As Keith thought, Lance didn’t buy it for a second, reaching up to try and help. “Wait!” Keith yelled, making Lance flinch back, “If you touch that it won’t come off.” He threatened. Lance’s hands instantly drew back from Keith’s web, forcing him to watch as Keith freed his legs, descending from his self-made bungee cord before landing on the ground, wincing deeply once again and moving to hold his neck.

    “You’re hurt.” Lance cried out, reaching for Keith’s face. Keith let Lance touch him, and despite all of the pain, having Lance stroke his cheek felt exceptionally comforting despite the touch being on his mask and not a direct one. “A-are you okay, are you…are you not gonna make it-”

    “Don’t worry Lance…it just hurts.” Keith admitted, keeping his hand clamped tightly over his neck. Lance didn’t seem very convinced, his eyes filling with panic,

    “B-but-”

    “Lance…I promise, I’m going to be okay.” Keith said calmer, hoping to give Lance some sort of comfort. Although, by this point Lance looked pretty freaked out. So, Keith did something he would never normally do.

    Keith didn’t know why he did it. Maybe it was because Lance had said he liked Spiderman…like, _like_ liked Spiderman. Or possibly because hearing Lance’s concerns had made Keith happy to know that Lance cared for his well being. Either way, he pulled up his mask so that it released his lips from its hold, as well as a bit of his hair which annoyingly stuck to the back of his neck. He leaned over, cradling Lance’s face in his free hand, and pressed a light kiss to the boy’s forehead.

    Lance’s face bloomed into a deep red and his eyes grew to the size of saucers.

    “Thank you for looking out for me.” Keith said rather smoothly, though on the inside he was screaming and tingling all over. “You’re one of the sweetest people I know.”

    Lance said nothing for a second, still likely in shock. But eventually he overcame it just slightly, shaking his head and staring up at Keith.

    “I-I…” he stuttered, “I dunno about that.” he smiled goofily, his eyes flickering to the ground. It was actually pretty cute, which made Keith’s heart do a backflip or two.

    “You are.” Keith ensured. “Now don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. This isn’t a bad cut.”

    “Okay.” Lance replied quietly. The side of his mouth quirked up like it did when he was so happy that he could barely contain himself.

    “…I’ve got to go now, do you need a ride?” Keith asked, offering his hand. Lance opened his mouth, but at that moment a bus pulled up to the stop. Lance looked at the bus for a moment, then Keith, or, well, Keith’s neck.

    “It’s alright, my bus is here.” he ensured.

    But as Keith began to leave, Lance gently placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. He leaned over as Keith stopped, placing the most gentle kiss (and the only kiss) he had ever received between his cheek and his nose.

    “Be safe Spiderman.” he whispered, pressing yet another delicate kiss to the tip of Keith’s nose before turning around and running towards his bus.

    For a moment Keith could hardly process what had happened. His heart beat rapidly in his chest and a blush bloomed all the way from his forehead down to his neck. In these moments he was glad to have the suit cover his face.

* * *

 

    Lance felt himself shaking the whole bus ride home, his body practically vibrating. But the fact that Spiderman himself had kissed him wasn’t the only reason he was going crazy. Lance had the courage to actually kiss him back. It wasn’t on the lips like Lance had hoped and it wasn’t extremely romantic or anything, but he loved it all the same. Although…there had been something different about the interaction.

    As Lance replayed what had happened over and over in his head, he realized two things. One, Spiderman had called him by his name, something which he had never done before. Number two, there was something he had recognized about him, was it his voice? Those few locks of hair that had fallen down his neck? Probably, because something about them seemed so familiar, but he just couldn’t place his finger on it. Something was different, not in a bad way, but…Spiderman was starting to feel like someone else, and Lance couldn’t figure out who exactly that person was.

    Lance attempted to push the thought of that to the side and rather focus on the kiss. After all, Lance didn’t need to know who Spiderman was. As much as he liked the idea of knowing who was under that mask, he knew it would be safer for Spiderman to remain a mystery to him. And though he respected that, he couldn’t help but fantasize about the beautiful face that might be under that mask the entire way home.


	2. Chapter 2

    Keith quickly tossed his backpack into the window of his apartment, trying to be quick about things. Just to make sure, he found that nobody was around before jumping inside of his room. Lance was coming over soon to have a sleepover, so he knew he had to be faster than usual. Crime doesn’t take a break, which was something Keith had learned rather reluctantly, mostly because _he_ never got a break.

    Keith jumped in, simultaneously shutting the window and closing the curtain behind him. He landed on the floor, not even bothering to turn around, seeing as a fresh outfit had been laid out on his dresser for him. A fresh cut striped down his back, stinging painfully as he stretched down to grab his clothes. Keith groaned, hoping that Shiro had some first aid ready for him too.

    With a soft sigh, Keith freed his face from the mask he’d been wearing all day, pressing the button in the middle of the suit to free himself. Although, for a moment the fabric stuck to his cut, peeling off painfully. He yelped accidentally, although that was probably a good thing, seeing as it likely would signal Shiro to help him out.

    “God…” he muttered, grabbing his suit and stuffing it into his drawer before throwing on a quick pair of pants. “Shiro!” he called into the hall, “Shiro, I hurt my back, can you grab the bandages!” he requested, but there was no reply. Keith sighed deeply once again. Great. He really didn’t feel like limping around the house like this, but…he didn’t really have a choice.

    Keith groaned painfully as he limped towards the door. He looked ridiculous walking like this, holding him back like he was an old man. And as he walked, just to make sure, he looked behind him at the window he had jumped through, just to make sure it was shut.

    However; as Keith turned his gaze behind him, he found himself staring at something quite different from a window.

    Lance gaped, jaw dropping. It was the kind of shock Keith had only witnessed when he had kissed Lance last week. He looked like he wanted to say something, but at the same time Lance looked to shocked to even think of speaking. So instead, he just stared at Keith, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

    For a moment, Keith honestly had no idea what to do, he had no idea what to say. For a while he’d honestly been wanting to tell Lance about his identity, especially after the kiss exchange between them, but at the same time, Lance was kind of a blabbermouth. He accidentally blurted things out all the time without meaning to. And yet, he was trustworthy, especially with huge secrets like this. It had been so complex just thinking about whether he should or not. It wasn’t like anyone other than Shiro knew of course, one more person couldn’t be that bad, right?

    They stared at each other a moment longer, each of them frozen in their place. If Keith had his way, this wouldn’t be the way he would’ve wanted to break things. But at the same time…how were you supposed to tell your best friend that you were…well, you were his crush. Keith couldn’t even begin to imagine the embarrassment Lance was feeling right now. There were so many times when he’d fantasized about Spiderman to him during the past few weeks. He was constantly gushing about him, telling Keith all of the dates he planned for them, even though he wasn’t sure if they were possible, which they likely were not (at least, not then). And as if to confirm the fact that Lance was humiliated, the boy’s face turned bright red.

    Lance covered his mouth, his eyes dropping to the floor. He continued to seem like he was at a loss for words. Keith hadn’t expected this at all, and he was sure that Lance hadn’t either. Sometimes things were just so sudden. Keith waited to be yelled at, he waited to have an argument or something bad like that. He just prayed he hadn’t broken Lance’s trust. Keith…well, he didn’t want to lose that, he loved Lance.

    But to his immediate surprise, Lance just kind of laughed. It was a bit hollow and broken, making it obvious he was still adjusting and also probably going to cry, but at least he laughed.

    “God, I’m an idiot.” he looked up at Keith. His cheeks were still red, flushed with embarrassment. Keith felt his own cheeks starting to redden just at the sight of Lance all flustered like this. He remembered all of their suggestive little interactions, all of their intimate touches, their hugs…their kisses. Now Lance would know that all along Spiderman had been walking right besides him in the hallways every morning.

    “…Are you okay?” Keith barely managed to ask, his voice shaking nervously. Lance blinked for a second. It was obvious he was going to start crying any second now.

    “Yes…no?” he mumbled, “I just…I don’t know what’s going on, this is all so-”

    “I’m sorry.” Keith apologized, making a move towards where Lance was sitting. Lance sniffled for a second, holding his face inside of his hands.

    “N-no, don’t apologize, it’s not your fault, I’m just being a cry baby.” he blubbered, “I don’t know why I’m crying, I really don’t, I just…I’m really embarrassed and I’m really sad but I’m happy too.”

    “Lance-”

    “It’s okay Keith, I…I’m really glad I know now, but I kind of feel like I’m putting you in danger.”

    “No, you’re not, you’re not, you just-”

    “I know, I can’t tell anyone.” he mumbled, wiping at his eyes. “…And you’re hurt.”

    “It’s fine-”

    “No, let me see.” Keith hesitated, but Lance gave him a look. When someone’s crying, you let them do what they want, so Keith turned his back to Lance (rather reluctantly I might add), and allowed Lance to gaze at the cut. “This needs stitches Keith!” he shrieked before Keith turned around and shushed him with a finger to his lips. Lance fell quiet, but he didn’t stop staring at the cut.

    “Lance, I know you’re kind of freaked out right now, but…you can’t yell, someone might hear you.”  
    “I-I know, I just…” he stuttered, tears falling down his cheeks.

    “Shiro will get it for me, I-I’ll be right back.” Keith replied rather pathetically. He felt horrible for just leaving Lance to cry there on his bed, but the way Lance had reacted prompted him to get help for his back faster. So he hobbled quickly to the couch, finding Shiro there. All he had to do was give his brother a desperate look before he was being taken care of on the kitchen table.

    Shiro sighed deeply, poking another stitch into Keith’s back. He didn’t wince, because the little poke was nothing compared to the current throbbing he felt.

    “Keith…you know Lance was in your-”

    “I know…he knows now.” Keith muttered. Shiro paused for a second, seeming a bit panicked but also confused.

    “And you just left him there?” the words stung Keith almost as bad as his back already was.

    “I don’t know what to do!” Keith groaned, “H-he started crying-”

    _“Keith_.”

    “B-but he was worried about me, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do?!”

    Shiro sighed deeply at this, pausing in the middle of his work to pinch his temples, “Keith, it’s really not that complicated.”

    “But _it is_.”

    “Keith…is he really crying in there?” Shiro asked. Keith nodded, feeling his cheeks flush, but he wasn’t quite sure why he felt so embarrassed. “…You can’t just _leave_ someone who’s crying-”

    “But I don’t know what to say!”

    “Then at least _comfort him_!”

    “How?!-” but before he could continue, he stopped, watching with both horror and relief as Lance walked in, rubbing his eyes. He sniffled pathetically, sitting on a chair by the kitchen table. Shiro frowned at Keith, nodding his head as if he expected him to say something. Right now that request didn’t seem to go completely through, Keith was already panicking, his mind going crazy.

    “Does it hurt?” Lance mumbled, sniffling.

    “…A little.” Keith mumbled, hoping that this could lead somewhere despite his nervousness.

    “Does Shiro-”

    “Yeah.” Keith muttered, “He knows.” for a moment there was silence between them. Lance didn’t look at Keith’s back, turning his gaze to the floor. Keith was sure Lance had a lot of questions, mostly because Keith himself had a lot of questions, but his felt selfish to ask. He really wanted to now if Lance liked him, yes, but Lance needed to comprehend this. The whole romance thing was another side of the story that had far less importance right now.

    Or, that’s what Keith thought until Lance reached out and held his hand gently.

    “…You can squeeze it if it hurts.” he muttered, his cheeks going a bit red. Keith continued to stay frozen, not exactly sure what to say.

    They stayed like that for a while as Shiro carefully stitched up Keith’s back, watching their awkward silence with a little bit of secondhand embarrassment. Nonetheless, he continued to do what was needed, occasionally giving Keith a word of encouragement after a painful stitch or a peck on the cheek to try and prod him to do something. Keith continued to stay frozen there, his cheeks getting redder and redder as Shiro got down further. It was painful just to watch this.

    Shiro gave the both of them a knowing look before carefully snipping the line of stitches, ending Keith’s discomfort. Thank god Shiro was a doctor, otherwise Keith would’ve been goner by now.

    “I’m going to make dinner.” he mumbled, “Keith, answer all of Lance’s questions, Lance, be gentle with Keith’s back. And _talk_ to each other.” the two of them nodded flustered as Shiro bent down, kissing each of their foreheads before going off into the kitchen.

    No words were spoken, but Lance helped Keith off of the table, hooking his arms under Keith’s and pulling him up carefully. But as he pulled Keith off, he didn’t let go, smushing himself against Keith. And thankfully, Lance began to pour out the questions.

    There were much more than Keith thought there would be, but he answered everything he could, thankful that Lance had stopped crying. He apologized for all of the lies he’d told Lance during their friendship and all of the times he’d had to bail out on things. Lance said that he understood and that he was okay with that. And slowly, Lance’s questions began to die out. But there was one very prominent thing that stayed echoing between them.

    Keith tried to skirt around it for a little while, so did Lance…but it slowly became quite inevitable.

    The hugs, the kisses…all of those things Lance had gushed about to Keith in the hallway, unaware that he was blurting out all of this information to the person he liked. And well…they couldn’t avoid it much longer.

    After a bit of staring, blushing and awkward silence, Keith forced the words out.

    “…So…I know we’re both probably thinking the same thing.” he muttered. Lance clearly knew what he was talking about, his cheeks going deep red. For a moment, neither of them said anything, but slowly Lance seemed to get humiliated enough that he managed to speak.

    “…I’m sorry,  about all of those stories I mean. They must’ve been so weird to listen to, I…I’ll give you space if you want, I get it, I know it was-”

    “No, no…it’s, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.” Keith muttered, “It wasn’t like…I didn’t like them…or anything.” he admitted, his face burning.  
    “Wait, what?” Lance asked, suddenly seeming both confused and interested.

    “W-well why do you think I kissed you?!”

    “I don’t know?!” he shrieked, “I-I thought it might be just…wait…” Lance paused for a second longer, processing what had just been said. “You…you…” Keith kind of wanted to die at this point. “…You like me too?”

    “I thought that was obvious.” Keith admitted, shrugging uselessly as his heart pounded madly in his chest.

    “Kind of, not really? Ugh! I don’t know any more!” Lance sighed, but kind of laughed at the same time.

    Lance continued to do this, seeming as unsure of what to do as Keith was.

    “…It kind of feels like a ton was lifted off my shoulders and I didn’t even know I was carrying it.” he muttered, leaning against Keith’s shoulder. “Just…everything I’ve been worrying about for months, months is all because you were Spiderman.”

    “Sorry-”

    “No, no, it’s not your fault, it…it just makes sense now.”

    “What does?” Keith asked, which made him feel like even more of an idiot. Shouldn’t he know this by now?

    “I guess just…I’ve been anxious about what you’ve been doing as Keith and as Spiderman I’ve been worried about my crush on you…and…well…I guess I didn’t have much to worry about.” Lance scratched the back of his neck, stepping away from Keith for a moment, allowing for the other to take it all in.

    And take it in Keith did. His mind clicked into all the little spots and pieces he’d forgotten, filling in all the little details that hadn’t made sense before. But it wasn’t only the realization that occurred in those moments. He began to understand what Lance had meant. Lance…well, he sort of just admitted that he still liked Keith, well, Keith and Spiderman. The two sides of him were appreciated and loved all the same. All this time it had just seemed like a dream. Like a reality he wasn’t able to grasp. It made him giddy and excited, but it wasn’t like it had felt before at the very moment. Somehow this felt so much better, so much more real. And it gave Keith courage.

    Keith reached out, gently holding Lance’s hand for a moment. This wasn’t the exact place he had planned to do this, but he knew he wanted it, and he wanted it quite badly. It had been this way for a long time, and well, Keith needed something, some sort of complete confirmation. And as long as Lance was willing for it as well, Keith really wanted a kiss.

    “…Why are you hesitating?” Lance asked, his voice sounding both a little breathless and slightly teasing. Keith felt like a bit of an idiot, blushing. But despite it all he smiled.

    “Just seeing if it’s okay.” he mumbled, leaning a little closer.

    “It’s okay.” Lance confirmed, moving in until they closed the gap together.

    The feeling was sweet. Not necessarily of their lips together, but something bloomed in Keith’s chest that he hadn’t ever really felt before. It reminded him of the feeling he got when he drank hot chocolate, the feeling of falling asleep on a peaceful summer night, the feeling of a warm bath after a long day. Only, this was so much sweeter than hot chocolate. It was so much more peaceful than falling asleep on a peaceful night. It was so much more comforting than a long bath. And it wasn’t because of the kiss. It was because of Lance. He was just so happy he’d been able to tell the boy his secret. And not only his Spiderman secret, but the other one too.

    And as they kissed a moment longer, grateful to have Lance be the one he was holding close. He wouldn’t choose anyone else in the world but him if he could. After all, Lance had been there for him, and not only that, but Lance had loved him and was proving it to him right now. Keith finally understood why Lance was crying, because he had been scared to realize that he might not only lose Spiderman, but Keith too. Lance cared for him, and Keith cared for Lance as well. It was a mutual love held between them, and it didn’t matter whether Keith had his hair back in a ponytail or if his face was hidden under a mask.

    Keith appreciated this a moment longer, breaking apart from the kiss.

    Lance grinned at him giddily, gently tugging at his hand.

    “Alright, I think Shiro’s gonna lose it if we talk any longer than this, let’s go eat some dinner.”

    “Yeah,” Keith replied, still in a slight daze. “Let’s go.”

    And they went, happy as ever as they walked hand in hand towards Shiro who simply rolled his eyes and sighed, a smile growing on his own face at the sight of the two. At least that was over with now, and as far as they were all concerned, they were glad Spiderman had took off his mask for Lance.


End file.
